How to Make Enchilada Sauce
Enchilada sauce is so easy to make! This red enchilada sauce recipe comes together in ten minutes. I've tried all the other recipes and this is the best!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 28, 2024
I’ve been working on my enchilada game lately, for both the cookbook and an upcoming enchilada recipe. There is an art to making great enchiladas, and the sauce is a key component.
I thought I’d share my tested and perfected enchilada sauce recipe today, in case you want to try it on your favorite enchilada recipe. It’s ready in under ten minutes, and I promise, it’s so tasty you won’t want to go back to the store-bought kind again.
When I developed my go-to sauce (first seen on my spinach artichoke enchiladas), I tried at least five of the top sauce recipes on Google, all with different ingredients and techniques.
I tried making sauce with tomato sauce, which tasted too raw and was kind of goopy. I tried making sauce with blended diced tomatoes, and it had the same issues. I tried sauce without any tomato ingredients, and it didn’t taste quite like the enchilada sauce I grew up eating, or the sauce at my favorite Mexican restaurants. I tried sauces made without any thickener (like flour or cornstarch), and they pooled at the bottom and turned my enchiladas into a soupy, texture-less casserole.
Finally, after some experimentation and cross-referencing with America’s Test Kitchen, I landed on the perfect enchilada sauce. Vegetable broth forms the base of the sauce, but it’s only added after you make a simple roux of flour and oil. You need a full three tablespoons of each to properly thicken the sauce. I tried making this sauce with a gluten-free flour blend and that worked great as well.
The Best Enchilada Sauce
Four reasons to love this recipe:
- This sauce is full of authentic Mexican flavor. It comes from a combination of dried spices, which are sautéed in oil to bring out their best, and umami-rich tomato paste.
- The cinnamon is optional since some people just don’t like it in savory applications, but just a pinch adds some lovely warmth and complexity.
- The final kicker is a tiny splash of vinegar, which really amps up the flavor.
- Unlike canned enchiladas sauces, this homemade sauce is free of unnecessary processed ingredients and MSG (that’s monosodium glutamate, which gives my mom migraines).
I love this sauce and I’m confident you will, too, since it’s gotten rave reviews on my spinach artichoke enchiladas and veggie black bean enchiladas.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback keeps me going.
Watch How to Make Enchilada Sauce
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
This homemade red enchilada sauce has authentic Mexican flavor! It’s so good and easy, you’ll never go back to store-bought sauce again. You can even make a double batch and freeze half of it for later. Recipe as written below yields about 2 cups (16 ounces) sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and gluten-free flour blends all work!)
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder (scale back if you’re sensitive to spice or using particularly spicy chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Pinch of cinnamon (optional but recommended)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- This sauce comes together quickly once you get started, so measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well.
- In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove!
- Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
- Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)
- Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary (I usually add another pinch or two). Go forth and make enchiladas!
Notes
Enchilada sauce recipe adapted from my spinach artichoke enchiladas.
Storage suggestions: Extra enchilada sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it cool to room temperature before transferring to a wide-mouth mason jar, leaving some room at the top for expansion (don’t screw on the lid completely until the mixture is fully frozen), or a freezer bag (remove excess air before sealing).
Make it gluten free: Just use gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. I tried with Bob’s Red Mill brand and it worked great.
Make it tomato free: You can omit the tomato paste. You might want to up the spices a bit. The sauce won’t taste quite like the enchilada sauce you might buy at the store, but it will still be good!
Change it up: The chili powder, cumin and garlic powder are essential here, but feel free to change up the other spices to suit your preferences.
If you love this sauce: Check out more of my Mexican recipes here!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Very tasty, easy and quick, and uses ingredients I already had on hand. Made as directed without changes and it worked perfectly. Saw in the comments other people are adding chocolate – might try a little unsweetened cocoa next time.
I used 3 T butter vs oil for roux, chicken broth as had no vegetable oil and 2 heaping T of hot salsa vs tomato paste. Sorry to veer from recipe but it’s all I had. In the end I felt it needed more depth…so added 2 + more T of chili powder, 1 t cayenne, more garlic powder and added onion powder. My spices are fresh as I go through them like water. But my chili powder isn’t hot. So your original recipe didn’t work for me but was a good jumping off point. Thank you.
how people like you can completely change the recipe, and then claim it isn’t good is ridiculously. You substituted tomato PASTE for salsa…what in the world?
Kate your recipes rock
I’ve made this a half dozen times to use with these awesome slightly different (less Mexican) enchiladas.
TOTALLY AWESOME SAUCE
THANKS AGAIN.
please tell how do you make the broth?
Hi Mansi, you can buy it at a grocery store.
Made this several times. By the recipe; using 1/2 ancho chile powder, 1/2 regular; with vinegar and without; and adding some adobo powder. All versions delicious! Doubles well. Definitely a keeper.
This is a wonderful sauce! Followed directions as is but added more heat with siracha and red hot sauce. Left put vinegar. Thank you for this one! I’ll be making this from now on and never buying canned sauce again.
Hooray! I’m happy to hear that. Thanks for your review, Sharmayne.
This really is the best. Thanks for sharing!
I made this exactly as written with the exception of using Turkey Broth instead of vegetable broth, as that is what I happened to have on hand. All of my spices are pretty fresh .. and it turned out super flavorful and delicious. I did use an Indian chili powder, so maybe that helped, but I don’t understand the reviews that say it isn’t flavorful. We loved it.
Thank you for your feedback, Lorri! I’m glad it worked with your variations.
Super good and easy to make with ingredients on hand. I much prefer this to the canned..thank you!
You’re welcome, Barbara! I’m delighted you loved it.
Usually buy my sauce from a local restaurant. I’ve tried to make homemade sauce a few times and they were just gross. This is the first recipe I’ve made that I’ve liked! The only reason for giving it 4 stars is bc I use a little more spices than yours calls for. So happy to finally have a good one! Thanks
Wonderful, Stacy! Thank you for your review.
Made this tonight as meal prep. Made it oil free by toasting the dry ingredients in the oven till fragrant then cooked the tomato paste in just a tiny bit of water. Next I mixed the cold broth into the dry ingredients then added it to the hot tomato paste and followed the rest of the instructions as written. It came out fantastic.
Thank you so much for this great recipe
Amaaaaaaaazing and so easy!!!
You did it again Kate. After loving your tomato soup, I tried this by following everything you described. Excellent result! I wish I could send flavor to you like sending this praise
I am allergic to peppers (bell peppers, paprika, anything related) and we need to make our own sauce. This sauce (leaving out the chili powder) is PERFECT!! I usually double it and add it to chicken, black beans, corn, and all kinds of fillings and it makes a delicious enchilada. Thank you for your recipe!
I’m glad you are able to make it work, Rachel! Thanks for sharing.
I love using your enchilada sauce in my enchilada chicken soup! The soup is my own recipe but your sauce gives it that extra oomph! ❤️
I’ve made this several times and my whole family who love authentic Mexican raved about it! Outstanding recipe. I’ve doubled and used it for enchiladas and chicken tinga tacos. Scrumptious!
Your recipes are awesome!!
A great sauce recipe. Thanks again Karman
Thank you. Ran out of canned sauce. Glad I did. Tried this -loved it!
I’m happy you loved it, Bonnie! Thank you for your review.
I ran out of store bought Enchilada sauce one day and too lazy to get into the car and drive to the grocery to buy some, so tried this recipe. Suffice it to say I will never buy canned or bottled enchilada sauce again!
I’m glad you tried it and enjoyed it, Kathryn! I appreciate your review.
I’m in England, we don’t really get ‘store bought’ enchilada sauce here so I’ve only really tasted proper sauce from a restaurant. Your sauce defo tastes better than anything I’ve had before.. Honestly, it’s amazing!! Usually make a huge batch to freeze and pass on to friends and family. Sometimes add a little extra chilli and smoked paprika too.. Delicious!
Once you have tried this you will never buy enchilada sauce again. I have made this recipe several times. It comes together so easy and is delicious. The only change I make is I use homemade vegetable broth because I always have it on hand. All the ingredients are usually already in the pantry which makes it easy to throw together.
That’s great, Lori! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Hi … wondering if I can can this in a water bath?
Hi Lynne, this isn’t meant to be canned. Sorry!
I followed this recipe exactly and doubled it. Came out perfect. So much better than canned. Also better than other homemade recipes I’ve tried. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear, Chrisa.
Your enchilada recipe is fabulous! Thank you. I used 1/2 masa and half wheat flour. I did use the cinnamon and loved it! I love the heat from my homemade chili powder. I also grow and can tomatoes so modified the proportions of liquids using chicken stock, tomato juice and tomato paste.
Really really really delicious…. And easy! Was a little worried the flavors weren’t blending but after adding vinegar and a little more salt and pepper, was perfect! Just like a good Mexican restaurant. Will make extra to freeze next time and try adding a touch of cocoa for mole vibe. Thank you! ❤️
This is fabulous. I make heirloom corn tortillas one day and enchiladas the next. This is hands down the best.
OMG…NOOOOOO… worst recipe.
Hi Alejandra, I’m sorry you didn’t like this recipe. What seemed to be the distaste?
This was delicious and easy!! So
Much better than store-bought sauce! Thank you :-)
You’re welcome! Tank you for your review.
This recipe is awesome!! I have added a teaspoon of adobo sauce from chipotle in adobo sauce and it brought it up a not h. Love this recipe!!
This is delicious… I mixed butter and oil. I used salt free beef broth with beef flavor booster because that’s what I had on hand. I also increased the acid… a bit more vinegar and some lemon juice. I’ll never buy another canned product. Thank you.
Fantastic! I will never buy another can of sauce. Glad I took your suggestion and doubled the recipe for the freezer. And I hadn’t even tasted it yet!! Just fantastic! Thank you very much
Curious what does the Vinegar do?
It helps the flavor profile. I hope you try it and like it!
Thank you kindly for the recipe. I did not have vegetable broth so I just used water and I thought you might be talking Mexican oregano- all I have is Italian- so I omitted that too, but the rest was very delicious in my first time making my own sauce. It certain is miles better than the sad watery canned versions. I might try adding a bit of coriander next time. It’s a keeper!
I used tomato paste from a tube and thought I would be okay measuring as I needed it, but I nearly burned my sauce, so I would suggest having the tomato paste ready to go! This tastes delicious and about 1 million times better than any store bought sauce, and it doesn’t require any rehydrating dried chilies or anything more complicated than making a roux!
Thank you for this. I have used so many of your recipes over the years and I always like them. Thanks for keeping me excited when cooking becomes so routine.
Thank you so much! This is so perfect for an easy sauce and tasted delicious. I forgot to put in the vinegar at the end.. Will try that next time. I also added another tbsp of tomato paste, 1tsp of onion power, and 3 types of chili powders I had lying around.
This is the best enchilada sauce ever! I’ve made this with the black bean enchiladas easily 10 times and it’s perfect every single
Time!
Thank you for such an awesome recipe!!
Oh my goodness! I made this today because I had no cans of sauce! My gosh! It was very good. I didn’t have broth but I made my own out of water and various seasoning and man it is just a wonderful and quick recipe if you need a really good enchilada sauce real quick!
I wasn’t a fan of enchiladas solely because of the sauce! After trying this recipe, I have a changed mind. I will never, never, ever buy enchilada sauce in a can again….may not even eat it from a restaurant either. Simple recipe, full of flavor and I always have these ingredients on hand, cannot tell you how many times I’ve made enchiladas because of this recipe for home and for others. I’ve tried the recipe with both broths and I found that the chicken broth adds more flavor.
Hooray! I’m glad my sauce changed your mind because they are so good. Thank you for your review, Traneka.
Smooth, great texture and taste. Love it!
A fb friend gave me this recipe. I try to keep away from processed foods and this fit perfectly. No canned enchilada sauce ever again! Half for my enchilada recipe and the other half in the freezer. I give it ***** 5 stars!
Really, really good enchilada sauce, and it has become my go-to. I sometimes substitute verjus for vinegar, but otherwise it is a rare tinker-free recipe for me :-)
This sauce is fabulous. Followed the directions and the comments (adding a bit of powdered chocolate). Flavorful recipes such as this enables me to make healthier and tastier Mexican recipes for my family. Thank you. Thank
You’re welcome, Kitty! Thank you for sharing.
I have to disagree with the reviewers who said the recipe lacked flavor. I followed it as directed and it was great as is. I did stir in some cream and sour cream after tasting it as I was making a creamy enchilada casserole but it was very good as written and I would definitely use it for a traditional enchilada recipe or a creamy variant.
Thank you, J! I’m glad you loved it.
Best sauce Ever! It is so easy. Sometimes I add a bit more chili powder for heat. K also use the chicken Better Than Boullion instead of vegetable broth. No matter the meat, chicken, beef or ground turkey, in the enchiladas, this sauce puts them over the top! I will NEVER buy canned sauce again.
This was a great recipe with easily accessible ingredients. The instructions are well done and very helpful. Taste was complex and yummy. I paired the sauce with Goat Cheese and Corn Enchiladas. I topped the dish with charred tomatoes. Got rave reviews.
Can you sub vegetable broth with beef or chicken broth? I don’t have vegetable in hand
Didn’t have tomato paste so I substituted one chopped tomato and did 1.5 cups of stock. Also used chicken stock instead of vegetable stock. Brilliant sauce.
So delicious! And easy to make. Thank you!!
I’ve made this sauce before, and just made it for today’s chicken enchiladas. My family loves it! It is so easy to make! I did nothing to alter your recipe, it’s fabulous as is! Thank you!